Ginny sat with Draco on the train, as she always did. Leaning against him, she let Draco run his hand through her hair. She sighed happily, and readjusted herself slightly so she was even more comfortable against him.

"Mum and Dad already know you won't be coming with me for Christmas, and why." Draco said, and Ginny smiled against him. Ginny had been really surprised at Draco's reaction when she had told him she was related to the Weasley's. She knew how much he disliked the whole Weasley family. Ginny knew that the feelings were returned by the whole Weasley family, and she had decided fairly early on that she probably wouldn't bring Draco to her family any time soon.

Draco waited with her at King's Cross for the Lee family to come and pick her up. Narcissa was there with them, and marvelled over Ginny's hair.

"What a fantastic colour." She said. She didn't acknowledge the fact that she was a Weasley, and Ginny didn't bring it up. She knew the Malfoys well enough by now to know that there was no love lost between the two great pureblood families. Lucius wasn't there, but he never was there to pick them up from the train station. Ginny never bothered to wonder where the intimidating blonde man was, though she knew enough to guess that, for the last two years at least, when he was gone, he was doing activities relating to HWMNBN. (A/N: He who must not be named!)

"We'll miss you this Christmas, Ginny." Narcissa said, embracing the small girl before her as a rather impatient looking America Lee pulled up at the train station, her car much smaller than it had been when Ginny had last seen her.

"I'll miss you too." Ginny said as she hugged Narcissa. She was glad when Narcissa moved away, giving her a chance to hug and kiss Draco, the feel of his mouth pressed against hers calmed her heart, and she knew only then just how nervous she was to spend her holiday with the Lee family.

"Ginny? Is that you, dear? What in the Lord's name did you do to your hair?" America asked the moment the redhead walked over to the car. Ginny didn't get a chance to explain before she was wrapped in America's arms, being squeezed tight. "Sorry the others couldn't come to pick you up. They'll all be home for Christmas, but at the moment it's just going to be me, you, and Christopher." Ginny saw Christopher's grinny face then. Sitting in the back seat of the surprisingly small car, Chris waved at the girl he had once known as a sister.

Ginny slid in to the seat beside him, as America climbed in the front seat and began driving. The house was knew, much smaller than the one they used to live in. Christopher was eager to give Ginny a tour. He had sent pictures of it, but it wasn't the same as seeing the real thing.

"Henry should be home from work soon." America said, as she flitted about the kitchen. Everything just seemed so normal. So natural. Ginny's eyes were watering despite herself as she went through the familiar motions of helping the woman who had once been a mother to her cook dinner.

"So what made you decide to go red, Ginny?" Chris asked. He sat on the bench top, the way he used to, sitting there watching his mother and the girl he would always think of as his sister make dinner.

"It's my natural colour." Ginny said. She hadn't really wanted to talk much about magic with the Lees, knowing how the would feel about it, but now she started she couldn't stop, and she began to explain what life was like at Hogwarts, how wonderful everyone was. She didn't mention HWMNBN. She didn't want America or Christopher to worry, and she knew that there was no way HWMNBN would ever be able to get into Hogwarts anyway.

It was like Ginny never left. They ate dinner at the table, throwing stories around, and everything was the same, as if Ginny hadn't been gone for four years.

That is, everything was fine until her last day there. America woke Ginny up early in the morning. Ginny had packed everything the nigt before. Though Chris should be dropped off first, he was allowed to go with America and Henry to drp Ginny off on the way, and then they'd drop him off at school later.

"You take care of yourself, Ginny." America said, hugging Ginny tightly. "You're always welcome here. I'm so sorry about..." She trailed off, and she wasn't the onl one with tears in their eyes. Henry shook her hand firmly, his other hand gripping hard on her shoulder. Then it came to Chris.

Chris was so much different to how Ginny had pictured him. He'd grown up while she had been away, and was now a tall, slender young man, with curly brown hair, and bright blue eyes which twinked. Ginny had met his girlfriend at Christmas, and knew that she would be a lucky girl indeed in a few years time.

Chris hugged Ginny tightly, nearly squeezing all the breath out of her. He surprised her by picking her up and spinning her around. And suddenly crumpled underneath her, as a jet of green light hit him. Ginny screamed, and looked around, recognising the spell from a couple of years previously where the imposter Mad-Eye Moody had demonstrated the three unforgiveable curses for the third year students.

He Who Must Not Be Named was there, hissing at his failure to kill her. Ginny's eyes went wide. Henry and America were bent over Chris, shaking him, trying toget some response from him, unaware that he would never again laugh at one of their bad puns, or enjoy dinner with them.

Ginny leapt into action. She grabbed her wand from where it had been in her pocket, and began firing advanced spells she had been learning this year at him. Voldemort was mildly surprised at the strength and suddenness of some of the spells, and Ginny was sure she saw a flash of something in his eyes as a spell she had learned from a restricted book narrowly missed him, the jet of flame that burst from her wand incinerating a stand of brochures instead.

Before Ginny could send another spell, one hit her from behind, sending her propelled forward. She saw shock in Voldemort's eyes, and he apparated out quickly. Sitting up, Ginny looked around and saw Ron standing behind her, wand out, a horrified expression on her face. Harry and Hermione were still catching up, Ron's fast legs had given him an advantage to get there faster. Ginny ignored this however, throwing herself at Chrstopher, next to America and Henry, shaking his shoulders hurriedly.

"Chris?" She asked, her eart beating fat in her chest. Her hand, despite herself, went to his wrist, checking on his pulse. There was none. Ginny's breath stopped in her throat. She felt an arm around her shoulders, and she felt herself being pulled away.

She watched America and Henry crying over Chris's body, concerned passers-by calling ambulances, putting out the brochure stand which was still on flames. She was turned around, so she was facing the way she was being tugged, barely feeling the people running past her, heading towards the scene of the ruckus. She didn't notice that it was Harry who was pulling her away until she was sitting in a compartment with him, Ron, and Hermione.

She didn't pay attention to any of their words, her mind was elsewhere, with a young boy, barely a man, who was just finishing his first day of school for the year. At one point goblet was pushed into her hands, but she didn't drink and it was soon taken away.


A/N: Sorry, this one took a while to write. Had a few days of anti-inspiration, and then lots of uni work - blah, blah blah. Probably should have the next chapter up soonish :3